European Club Association

[2mas]

European Club Forum will be replaced by European Club Association (ECA).

[Gerrit]

Some strange names there. Deportivo and Newcastle for example have slipped away badly, Shelbourne FC isn't even in Ireland's top division anymore. Also I am surprised to see Viking as nr 2 team from Norway instead of Brann or Valerenga.

In theory the new project does sound promising though. I have the impression UEFA is heading in the right direction since Platini took over. I am not sure if he has anything to do with this new association of clubs, but things are changing for the better step by step
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Engelsk]

I agree with Gerrit. Viking as Norway's second representative?
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thecomplexii.com - Founded 2005

[2mas]

They were the second best Norwegian club on the UEFA team ranking in 2006.

To me it by the way seems like the national associations are free to pick their own participants. NFF seemingly used the team ranking, while the Swedes picked Helsingborg together with Djurgården even Halmstad were ranked in front of Helsingborg.

[Engelsk]

2006? Why are they not using the 2008, or at least the 2007 lists?
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thecomplexii.com - Founded 2005

[2mas]

They don't want to change the members all the time; meetings just twice a year. Right now we're midway through the 20006-09 period.

[Engelsk]

Oh, OK. Fair enough.
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thecomplexii.com - Founded 2005

[Gerrit]

It is weird though to see second-division teams like Shelbourne and almost-second-division teams like Deportivo in the list. Well, as long as we're in the club I won't complain

I think it is another big step forward. The G14 was an elitist thing representing only the happy few rich and success clubs, with the only purpose of further establishing their power. The new organisation is not perfect but at least every country has a vote, and clubs from Luxembourg and San Marino are having the same status as clubs like AC Milan and Bayern Munich. Big step forward!

I must say UEFA is heading in the right direction with Platini. It was a question mark if he just made those reform promises to get the votes from the smaller countries' FAs, but it seems he really has the intention to stick to his promises. Reforming European football takes time of course, but I have the impression that step by step he is trying to realise his plans. He anyway showed more good intentions already than Johansson did in 10 years. The CL qualifiers reforms were a first step in the right direction, and this new organisation replacing G14 is another good step. I think for now we have to say Platini deserves a lot of credit for his work.
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[2mas]

Yep, Platini has been a positive surprise!

Johansson claimed he worked on behalf of the smaller countries, but never helped us. Platini makes his words come true.

[Gerrit]

Johansson and Bletter =

They are no football fans, they are businessmen. Their constant aid to the rich clubs was ruining football. If it depended on Johansson, the nr 10 of England would play Champions League sooner than the actual champions of Iceland or Finland... It was a good move to appoint Platini who has been a player himself and knows what football is all about and what football fans care for. You can clearly see Platini approaches the game in a totally different way. Of course completely restructuring football in Europe does not happen overnight, but I hope we will see the original European cups format again with only 1 club per country in the Champions League, and with a Cup Winners' Cup. It may be too much to ask but on the other hand I think if there is anyone out there who can do it, it may very well be Platini.
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[Engelsk]

[Gerrit]

I follow the Irish league of course since I lived there for 3 years. Shels won 3 out of 4 titles between 2003 and 2006. They also had a very good run in Europe. The relegation came not because of bad results (they won the league prior to relegation) but because of growing debts. So the FA of Ireland relegated them because of financial troubles. Shelbourne won the championship of Ireland and one month later was relegated because of debts.

Would it have been the first ever time in history that a club was crowned champions of their country and then was sent back to second division immediately afterwards?

(PS: Shels also did not play in the Champions League qualifiers even though they had won the league. But the debts were so big that they were not only relegated but also denied a license to play in Europe. They also did not protest against the decision, because they figured a team playing in second division could not properly represent Ireland in Europe)

By the way, when I lived in Dublin I went to a lot of Shelbourne games. What happened is quite sad really. Shelbourne won trophy after trophy but the club wanted too much and started paying player salaries they could not afford. The supporters did not know what was going on, so when the story about the debts came in the press, it was a shock to anyone. Now they're in second division and there isn't even enough money left to do small works on the stadium. That is how bad the situation is. There was no light in the toilets for several months, and even buying a new light bulb was considered too expensive given the situation of the club. Several players were not paid at all and played for the team purely to help the club survive so that they wouldn't need to search players that would ask money.
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[2mas]

Skutle elected for the board - congratulations!

[Green Apes]

Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC, ISR
Maccabi Haifa FC, ISR

Not going to stay there too long tho
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~GA

[mrstpatsfc]

ah now what happened shels was a long time coming and well deserved gerrit

[Gerrit]

I won't deny that... The board badly messed up, guess we're lucky the club is still alive. Currently leading the first division though and on the way back to the Eircom Premier League But with a bit less luck the club was dead and buried by now, hopefully the new board will never make the mistake again by spending ridiculous amounts of money like the previous board did.
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Rosenborg, forever pride of the North!

[mrstpatsfc]

true shels are on their way back to the top but it wont be plain sailing with dundalk and waterford fighting hard.
bohs,who rosenborg beat years ago i mite add are perhaps turning into the new shels with fenlon bringing in his former allies.
sick of joey ndo,hes outstayed his welcome.

pats v shels again next year

[2mas]

Met quite a few Bohs supporters in Riga two weeks ago when we both played away matches in the Intertoto Cup. They were in good mood Saturday night, but we couldn't find them when we wanted to celebrate our 3-1 win at Ekranas the day after.

(FK Riga won 1-0.)

[mrstpatsfc]

yeah bohs didnt get the best of welcomes in riga from their latvian counterparts,this led to them spiting drogheda by not letting them use their training facilities for champions league.

was their a good atmosphere with them 2mas?we were in riga ourselves last thurs,beat jfk olimps 1nil in the uefa cup.any ideas as to the whereabouts of glenn atle larsen?i no he played for valerenga so he wouldnt be a rosenborg favourite but he is the 1st norwegian we have had on our books

[Gerrit]

[2mas]

Nils Skutle joins UEFA's Club Competitions Committee

[2mas]

Nils Skutle lost with around 10 votes on the annual meeting: Executive Board Elections